Gov. Mark Gordon answered reporters’ questions on Wyoming land deals, the state’s energy sector and legislative priorities during a virtual press conference on Jan. 7.
He talked about federal land the state wants to buy, his disappointment in the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) plan for public lands around Rock Springs and layoffs in the trona mining industry.
Another highlight came when he mentioned legislators have requested more than 600 bill drafts from the Legislative Service Office so far. If they’re all filed for introduction in the upcoming legislative session that starts on Jan. 14, Gordon said it would be a record number of bills for a Wyoming Legislature to consider during his tenure as governor.
“I think the largest number of bills we had in any session of my term was about 606 the day that the Legislature opened,” said Gordon. “We’re well north of that now. The Legislature is going to have a big task in trying to sort through what those bills are.”
Gordon also expressed concern about a recently-certified ballot initiative that would slash property taxes by 50% for Wyomingites who’ve lived in the state for at least a year, pointing to the importance of those funds at the county and municipal government levels.
By way of an example, he mentioned the use of property tax revenue by local Wyoming governments in this year’s wildfire season.
“The state of Wyoming helped where it could, and the federal government helped where it could, but the burden lay with the counties,” he said. “It’s important that people balance their expectations. [They should be thinking,] ‘Not only do I not have as much of a tax burden, but I also understand that that has consequences on what services I can demand from my local entity.’”
If the Legislature passes a similar property tax measure before the ballot initiative makes it to the polls, it could make the citizen-led measure unnecessary.
Kelly Parcel cash
Gordon also gave more details about how the proceeds from the recent $100 million sale of the Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park will be spent.
He reiterated that the plan is for the state to buy resources-rich federal land in Powder River Basin counties like Converse, Campbell and Johnson.
And he added the state might also buy BLM land in the southwest, like in Sweetwater, Uinta, Lincoln and Fremont counties.
“[People] worry about losing access to hunting grounds, losing access to recreation grounds,” Gordon said. “We’re going to go about it in a very deliberate and conscientious way, and it is not to remove them from public access. It is meant only to make sure that they come more under the purview of the state of Wyoming.”
Freedom Caucus outlook
Gordon fielded another question on the further-right Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which gained a majority of seats in the House after the general election and is preparing to implement its own legislative agenda.
“Last year, the Freedom Caucus made a very concerted effort to ditch everything that had been worked on during the previous session,” he said. “So [for me to be] speaking up about ‘This is a great idea, or that’s a great idea’ – I think at this point is premature.”
The caucus held its own press conference later the same day in the Capitol building, where its leaders in the House discussed the group’s Five and Dime Plan.
That includes bills centered around proof-of-residency for voter registration; immigrant IDs; a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in higher education; banning environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing for government funds and reducing property taxes.
Some of those measures were vetoed by the governor in past sessions.
This reporting was made possible by a grant from the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, supporting state government coverage in the state. Wyoming Public Media and Jackson Hole Community Radio are partnering to cover state issues both on air and online.
